Power outages happen, and when they do, it can be jarring to see your PC suddenly go dark. Did it get zapped? Is your hardware still functional? Having a UPS battery backup virtually eliminates any concerns from an outage, and several of CyberPower's models are on sale at Woot (owned by Amazon) today. That includes our top pick, the CP1500PFCLCD.
The caveat is that these are factory reconditioned units, rather than brand new. However, it's CyberPower that was in charge of restoring them, either on its own or through a certified partner, according to the description. There's some peace of mind there, as opposed to some random third-party seller hawking refurbished models. CyberPower also backs these units with a one-year warranty.
One of the reasons we like the CP1500PFCLCD is because it boasts pure sine-wave output. Most UPS backups in this price range only offer simulated sine-wave output, which is a stepped sine-wave that approximates what comes out of your wall's outlet. Simulated sine-wave is cheaper to implement, but certain electronics can be sensitive to it.
This model also features automatic voltage regulation (AVR) to increase the AC power as needed, for a consistently save voltage level. One of the benefits of this is that it will tap into the battery less often.
There are 12 outlets on the back of the unit. Half of them offer both surge protection and battery backup, while the other half offer surge protection only. That gives you enough outlets to provide your PC, monitor, wireless router, cable modem, and any two other items with battery power during an outage.
As to how long the battery power will keep you up and running, it depends on your setup. Roughly speaking, CyberPower says there's enough juice to last 10 minutes at half load or 2.5 minutes at full load. Enough time to save whatever it is you're doing and to shut down your PC safely.
Note that there are several other factory-reconditioned UPS backups on sale as well. If you don't need quite as much power, the 850VA/510W version (also with pure sine-wave output) is on sale for $99.99.
